AI-Enhanced FT-IR Spectroscopy: Evaluation of a Novel Tool for High-Throughput Serovar Typing of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica in Croatia.

UNLABELLED: Rapid and accurate serotyping of Salmonella (S.) enterica subsp. enterica serovars is essential for effective public health surveillance, outbreak control, and food safety management. Traditional serotyping, although considered the gold standard, is time-consuming, technically demanding, and costly. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy using an IR Biotyper (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany) for the rapid and accurate serotyping of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica isolates in Croatia.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A total of 143 isolates representing different S. enterica serovars of human and food origin were analysed using the IR Biotyper. Each strain was tested in three biological and at least three technical replicates. The obtained results were compared with traditional serotyping according to the Kauffmann-White-Le Minor scheme. Isolate identification at the genus level was further confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

The IR Biotyper demonstrated high reproducibility and complete concordance with standard serotyping methods, enabling accurate differentiation of the most prevalent S. enterica serovars in Croatia.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate the applicability of FT-IR in routine laboratory work, with the potential to reduce typing time, reduce the number of strains, and lower overall costs required for epidemiological surveillance within the One Health approach.